Flowers on a Budget
- Gabby Roush
- Feb 21, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 16, 2019
Wedding flowers on a budget may seem almost impossible, but what if I told you I spent less than $250 TOTAL on my flowers and greens? I actually have heard some brides say they spent close to that on their bouquet alone! Want to find out how I kept the cost down? Keep reading! .....
First, I should start by saying that I decided to cut out boutonnieres completely. I've never been a fan of them, they remind me of prom, and honestly, I think they are a waste of money. That's only my opinion, so if you want them to be a part of your day, I know you'll find a way to create them on a budget too!
After researching florists, I was finding that a lot of bridesmaids bouquets were anywhere from $30-$80+ EACH, and that my bride bouquet would be $100-200! That would be way over budget, so I searched on Pinterest for "baby's breath bouquets." I was loving what I was seeing, so I reached out to an old friend from my high school French classes, who owns her own floral design company. (Her name is Roni! Here is a link to her site: www.Ronisroses.com) She answered all of my questions and her prices were beyond compare! I was able to order baby's breath from her for $1 per stem. Each bridesmaid bouquet consisted of 10 stems, (which Roni taught me is called a bunch). Being that there were 7 girls plus myself, I knew I wanted at least 8 bunches plus some extra to decorate with. I decided on ordering 100 stems (or 10 bunches) of baby's breath to work with, so the total was only $100. I knew I could make the bouquets myself, thus saving money, so I did not ask Roni to make them. (Which if you can, definitely have her make all of your bouquets and arrangements because she is truly talented!)
***The total is starting at $100***
Next, I knew that I wanted silver dollar eucalyptus EVERYWHERE. I wanted it in my bouquet, in the centerpieces, on the ceremony arch and anywhere else it would look nice. I of course reached out to Roni again, and yet again, she had the BEST prices on silver dollar eucalyptus. I ordered 100 stems (10 bunches) of that as well, and the total was $115.
***The total is at $215 so far***
I really really really wanted peonies or garden roses in my bouquet. I wanted them to be in colors that went nicely with the bridesmaid's dresses. Being that peonies and garden roses are not in season in September, this made them extremely expensive, especially when I only wanted to add a few to my bouquet as a pop of color. I decided to do a lot of research on mixing some faux flowers with real to see how it would look. From all of the pictures I came across, I couldn't even tell that some of the flowers were fake! I'm honestly not a fan of faux flowers, so I was hesitant of the idea, but I set off to Michael's anyway! As soon as I walked in, they had mini summer bouquets on clearance for $5! (Plus you know I used a 20% coupon). I found one with the perfect coral and peach colored peonies and garden roses! It was like God put them there just for me! I knew I would easily be able to cut open the faux bouquet and piece in the flowers I wanted into my real bouquet.
*** The total is now at $220***
The day before the wedding, I went to a local florist to hand pick a few white/ivory flowers. I ended up spending $23 dollars total on about 8 flower stems. On that same day, Roni delivered the baby's breath and eucalyptus. I stored all of the flowers in the cool dark basement. I honestly did not even put the eucalyptus or baby's breath in water because they hold up so well without (but keep in mind that it is suggested to keep them hydrated). I did however keep the white flowers I hand selected in water.
***The total is at $243***
Fast forward to the next day, the wedding day, the girls and I brought the flowers upstairs. My beautiful sister in law, Brooke, helped me piece each bouquet together! She helped make them look exceptional! Luckily, I already had a ton of ribbon in an old craft box, so we did not have to add that to the budget. Floral tape is only $1 at the Dollar Tree, so I had already picked up a couple rolls there. My lovely bridesmaid, Morgan, and her awesome mom, Vicki, were able to pick up floral pins so we could fasten the ribbon to the stems! They all turned out beautiful and people still have no idea that three of my flowers were not real. (You can see one faux flower in the photo below.)
***GRAND TOTAL = $245***
Being crafty definitely gives you a leg up when it comes to wedding planning on a budget. Even for my non crafty ladies, YouTube and Pinterest can teach you how to do anything!
Just remember, every pro has it's con. The downside to making bouquets yourself is of course the added stress on your wedding day. Do you really want to be creating and assembling bouquets in-between having your hair and makeup done, just hours before you say, "I do?"
Ultimately, when and where you make budget cuts is up to you! I lucked out with helpful family, and a beautiful venue that was already filled with flowers and greens inside and out. Flowers were never something that was important to me and I even thought about cutting them out completely, but I found a way to make them a part of my day on a budget. Looking back, in regards to flowers and greens, I wouldn't have done anything differently!
xoxo
Gabby
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